# Alternatives to OpenCart Lightweight open source cart. OpenCart ranks #6 of 9 in E-commerce platforms, with an Alt Score of 78. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on the web. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/opencart/ Category: E-commerce platforms ## Where OpenCart stands out - **Hosted vs self-hosted** — 4 of 9 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Small to medium-sized online retailers and developers who want to self-host an ecommerce store without paying software licensing fees. - **What you get**: A free, open-source PHP/MySQL shopping cart platform with built-in catalog, order, and customer management. It supports multiple languages, currencies, and payment gateways (PayPal, Authorize.Net, and others), plus fraud-screening integrations like FraudLabs. An official extensions marketplace adds themes, payment modules, shipping methods, and other add-ons. - **How it works**: You install OpenCart on your own PHP/MySQL-compatible web host, then configure your store and products through its admin dashboard. Additional themes and extensions can be purchased or installed from the OpenCart Marketplace to extend functionality. ## Profile - **License**: GPL-3.0 (verified 2026-07-10) - **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-10) - **Starts at**: ? - **Platforms**: Web - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Medusa](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/medusa.md) | 91 | MIT | Web | | 2 | [WooCommerce](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/woocommerce.md) | 91 | GPL-3.0 | Web | | 3 | [BigCommerce](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bigcommerce.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Web | | 4 | [Saleor](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/saleor.md) | 82 | BSD-3-Clause | Web | | 5 | [Big Cartel](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/big-cartel.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 6 | [PrestaShop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/prestashop.md) | 78 | OSL-3.0 | Web | | 7 | [Shopify](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shopify.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 8 | [Adobe Commerce](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/adobe-commerce.md) | 73 | OSL-3.0 | Web | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | E-commerce platforms checklist | OpenCart | Medusa | WooCommerce | BigCommerce | Saleor | Big Cartel | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Free | OSS + paid hosting | OSS + paid hosting | Subscription | OSS + paid hosting | Freemium | | Starts at | ? | $29/mo (Medusa Cloud Develop plan) | ? | $29/month | $1,599/mo | $15/month | | License | GPL-3.0 | MIT | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | BSD-3-Clause | Proprietary | | Platforms | Web | Web | Web | Web | Web | Web, iOS, Android | | Hosted vs self-hosted | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | | Transaction fees | No | No | No | No | Partial | No | | Themes & storefront customization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Payment gateways | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Multi-currency & tax | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Inventory management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Headless API | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | App / plugin ecosystem | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Digital products | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | POS integration | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | ## Sources Sources for OpenCart. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “OpenCart is a free open source ecommerce platform for online merchants.” - **Platforms**: Web — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “A free shopping cart system. OpenCart is an open source PHP-based online e-commerce solution.” - **License**: GPL-3.0 — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Commits on Jul 10, 2026” - **Hosted vs self-hosted**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “A free shopping cart system. OpenCart is an open source PHP-based online e-commerce solution.” - **Transaction fees**: No — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “OpenCart is a free open source ecommerce platform for online merchants.” - **Themes & storefront customization**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “**Themes**: Customize the storefront appearance.” - **Payment gateways**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “**Payments/Shipping**: Integrate gateways (e.g., PayPal) or methods (e.g., UPS).” - **Multi-currency & tax**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “The Currencies section allows you to manage the currencies available in your OpenCart store. You can add multiple currencies for international customers, configure exchange rates (manual or automatic)” - **Inventory management**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Enable stock tracking to know when items are running low.” - **Headless API**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “The APIs section allows you to create and manage secure credentials for external applications to communicate with your OpenCart store. This enables integrations with inventory systems, ERP software, m” - **App / plugin ecosystem**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Extensions can include modules (e.g., for adding features like sliders or analytics), payment gateways, shipping methods, themes, reports, and more.” - **Digital products**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Downloads in OpenCart allow you to sell digital products like software, e-books, music, videos, and other digital files. This feature provides secure file delivery.” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/